Fraternizing
by lokiwinchesterson
Summary: A series of one-shots featuring Loki and Natasha.
1. Unwanted Healing

Her eyes were set on two Clints. They both gave her a mischievous wink, as if to flirt with her. _Ha. _The Clint to her right, at her outburst, scowled and stomped on the ground, causing it to lift. Natasha was flown back quickly and landed in a fountain in the middle of the area. She heard a small _crack_ when she landed on the stone. She screamed in her mind. _Damn _that hurt.

She winced when trying to get up. Damn. She must've fractured something. Maybe bruised a bone. She looked up to see Tony battling five doppelgangers of Steve, who were all shouting insults about him and comparing Tony to his father. Natasha could tell that the words were wounding him, even if she couldn't see his face. Tony's aim was getting worse with each insult.

Steve wasn't doing much better. One of his clones had taken shape of his old lover, Peggy Carter. Natasha noted that Cap was purposely _not _trying to hit that clone. The Peggy clone was whispering and mumbling incoherent words to him. From whatever it was saying, Steve was getting less enthusiastic about the whole thing.

The others were doing just as poorly as well.

'_Damn you, Loki.'_

Just as she mumbled that in her mind, one of her 'friendly' clones approached her, taking the shape of the god of mischief himself. Natasha tried to get up, but cried out in pain.

'_Broken rib. Fantastic.'_

The Loki clone smirked, his green eyes shining, just like the real Loki's would. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? Poor little Natasha, all hurt, broken, and helpless. And standing before a god. What_ever _shall become of her?" A hint of sarcasm wove its way into his… _it's _words.

Natasha scowled playfully. "You make it seem like I'm a poor, sickened, depressed woman."

"Well, my dear," the clone purred. "You _are _a widow."

She curled her lip down at that and attempted to get up. A wave of heated pain crashed through her, but she fought to ignore it, leaning against the statue in the fountain. She had managed to stand up, but was still using the statue for support. The water was splashing on her, making her hair stick down on her head. She looked up at the doppelganger and glared at it.

"So what now? Aren't you going to finish me off or something?" she hissed, glancing over at Tony, who had punched the gangers, and successfully defeated them. He was now trying to coax Steve into punching the Peggy ganger, who was still mumbling at him, her face set into a façade of sadness. At the same time, Thor, Hulk, and Hawkeyes were fighting the clones, and they weren't very successful either.

The ganger grinned and stepped into the fountain. "I suppose that would be the easiest. And considering your comrades are too far away for them to hear you, it would be just _so easy _to kill you right now." It paced around Natasha, making the assassin stiffen. Usually, in situations like this, she wouldn't be so worried about dying. But this was a _Loki clone_. It could probably do just as much damage as the real deal could. And considering that Natasha was wounded badly… Things weren't looking up.

"Well, why don't you do it then?" she spat, spitting blood at its face. The ganger didn't even flinch. It merely smiled and wiped the blood from its mouth with its thumb.

"Because I don't want to," it sighed dramatically, leaning in toward Natasha. He smiled innocently.

_God _she hated Loki. And every ganger he made.

She smirked. "What? Don't have enough power like the _real _Loki?"

The ganger looked confused. "Real Loki?" Then it smiled. "_Oh_. My dear Natasha. I think you have mistaken. I _am _the real Loki." He barked out a laugh when Natasha's eyes widened.

This just got worse.

When Natasha tried to get away, Loki grabbed her tightly by the shoulders. The woman could see more and more gangers coming in for the other Avengers, making it difficult for them to pay attention. They probably thought she was battling some clones of her own.

'_Dammit.'_

Natasha turned her gaze back to Loki. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw how close the two of them were. She let it slide by. "So why won't you kill me. It would make it a hell of a lot easier for you to get _rid _of us. One down, five to go," she said through gritted teeth. It was starting to hurt to stand up.

Loki grinned evilly. "Because. I have something better in store for you, my little Widow."

"And what's that?" Natasha snarled.

And then the god kissed her.

The assassin was in such a state of shock. Her eyes widened profoundly, and her hands were no longer gripping the statue, but instead were holding onto Loki's shoulders, surprising both her and the god.

Loki chuckled, mouth still on Natasha's. Then he mumbled a few things while still kissing her. Natasha swallowed them, completely oblivious to everything around her.

My _god_ was Loki an amazing kisser.

Then Natasha felt a spark of pain where her broken rib was. Okay, it wasn't just a spark, but a bullet shot of it. She screamed in Loki's mouth, shoving the god away. She collapsed to her knees.

Loki grinned and knelt down beside Natasha. He brushed a strand of hair from her face. He chuckled. "You're welcome. Good day, Natasha Romanov." He kissed her cheek and disappeared, his gangers disappearing as well.

Her voice had finally found her, and Natasha screamed in frustration.

'_Damn him, damn him, damn him, DAMN HIM!'_

Five pair of footsteps ran toward her. Clint helped her sit up, while Steve waved a hand in her face.

"Natasha, what's the matter? What happened? Are you alright?"

The woman glared at the spot that Loki disappeared from. "Rib," she spat.

Tony smirked. "You broke your rib, then? Is that it? Oh, please Nat—"

"Shut the hell up, Tony!" Natasha yelled. "Yes, I broke my fucking rib! What's the matter about it?" She then stood up, and dusted off her suit.

"I-I thought you said you broke you—" Clint began.

"He healed me," Natasha said darkly. "He fucking healed me."

"What?"

She turned around and shook her head, glancing at the spot once again. She then licked her lips, which still tasted like the god. "Never mind," she said, looking at Clint. "I'm fine. Let's report to SHIELD." She began walking toward the building, avoiding any fallen rubble that was scattered on the ground. Eventually, she heard the others obediently follow, not saying a word.

Before she went to bed that night, Natasha touched her lips, which still tingled at the sensation of Loki's lips on hers. She scowled and crawled under the sheets, ignoring the feeling on her lips.

That night, she dreamt of throwing knives and godly kisses.


	2. Dinner Date

It had been months since Loki had healed Natasha with a kiss. It had been months since that faithful day that she would never tell _anyone _about. Natasha had avoided answering questions about that day as much as she could. Hawkeye would occasionally go over to her and try to start out with small talk, and then he would ask about the fight with the Loki clones. But she would always scowl his direction and walk away without a word.

The other Avengers had eventually given up questioning Natasha about it all.

When three months passed by without a word from Loki, Natasha relaxed, thinking it was all over. That is, until an envelope with her name written in beautiful cursive on the front, appeared on her bed in the Avengers mansion.

She dreaded what was inside and downright refused to open it. But her curiosity got the better of her, and Natasha opened up the envelope. Inside, was a light green piece of paper. She had to snort at that. Yep, this was from Loki, alright. She opened up the sheet of paper and read what was inside, which wasn't much.

_**Natasha, **_

_**You owe me. Tomorrow, 8:00. I will meet you at the fountain I healed you at. **_

_**~L.L.**_

_**Also, this is not an invitation or offer. You will come. You have no choice. Wear something descent.**_

Natasha snorted at the last part, tossing it in the trash can. "Like hell I'll go."

Yet, the next day, she got dressed in a black dress she never knew she had and wore her best heels. She didn't bother with her hair. The man can deal with it. The whole time she was getting ready, Natasha still couldn't believe she was really going. It could be a trap.

Still, she highly doubted it was.

She walked into the living area of the mansion, where the others were lounged around, drinking, laughing, and sharing jokes. Natasha rolled her eyes, and walked toward the front door, hoping to go unnoticed. Hopefully they were too drunk to—

"And where do you think _you're _going?" Tony said from the other side of the room.

Natasha froze, hand on the doorknob.

"And dressed like _that_?" Clint slurred, obviously drunk.

Natasha smirked and looked back at the men, who were all looking at her with questioning or raping eyes. "Just going out for a stroll," she said sweetly.

"Really?" Tony said, laughing. "Why dress like that, then?"

Natasha winked. "Wouldn't you like to know, Stark." Then, with a wave of the hand, she left the house, glad to get away from that disaster.

"Why, Miss Romanov, may I say, you look stunning," a voice said from behind the assassin.

Natasha turned around and smirked at the trickster. "You don't look half bad yourself. It's about time you showed up. You know, a girl doesn't like to be kept waiting."

The god grinned wickedly and bowed. "My apologies, Miss." He straightened up and held out his arm. "Miss Romanov?"

Smirking, Natasha reluctantly took the arm. "Mr. Laufeyson?"

With a cackle, Loki made them disappear in a cloud of green smoke.

They appeared at an expensive looking restaurant. Loki smiled and walked up to the front door, opening it up for Natasha, who in turn, winked and said, "It's going to take a lot more than common courtesy to make up for nearly destroying the town."

Loki chuckled dryly to himself, as if sharing an inside joke.

Once they were seated, Loki ordered a bottle of Champagne, not taking his eyes off of Natasha. Once the waiter was out of sight, Natasha set a glare on the god.

"Alright, Loki. What's this for?"

The trickster grinned innocently. "Why, Natasha, whatever do you mean?"

"I know this is bullshit. You avoid doing anything destructive since that day. Then, three months later, I find a note on my bed telling me to meet you at the fountain. You said I owed you." She leaned in and whispered darkly, "What is it that I owe you, _Loki_?"

Loki only smiled.

The Champagne was brought out, a toast was made, and a glass of alcohol was drunk. And then another glass. And then another. And another.

By the end of the night, Natasha was trying to balance on her feet to get up, and Loki was helping her to the entrance. Eventually, the woman ended up slumping in the god's arms, forcing him to carry her like a bride.

'_This is so humiliating,' _Loki thought icily. He glared down at the drunken woman. _'I hope you appreciate what I'm doing for you, mortal.'_

When he was outside, Loki transported them to Natasha's room. The woman in his arms stirred and looked up dazedly.

"Mph, Loki…" she slurred.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Yes it's me, Natasha," he muttered, setting her down on the bed. Before he could straighten up again, Natasha leaned up and sloppily kissed his cheek, making the god freeze.

"Thank you…" she whispered, before passing out.

Loki smirked and chuckled. "You won't be thanking me later," he muttered, working on getting her shoes off. "Trust me you won't."

He chuckled icily, sharing a secret to himself.

The next morning, Natasha awoke with a splitting headache and a sore back. She faintly remembered bits of last night. Loki taking her to eat, drinking _lots _of Champagne, and getting drunk… But that was all she could recall. She couldn't recall how she got into her bed, or how she had managed to take off her shoes. She assumed it was Loki, because he was her "ride" home.

She smiled as she thought that. Loki being… kind to her.

'_Heh. Maybe Laufeyson isn't all that bad after all…'_

That thought disappeared as she looked at a piece of paper to her right. It was a receipt. Not just any receipt, though, but the expensive receipt from last night. It seemed that the whole meal was charged to…

Natasha's eyes widened, and she growled menacingly.

It was charged to _her goddamn credit card._

'_DAMMIT, LOKI!'_

She would have torn the receipt to shreds and burned it, if I weren't for the black-inked words on the back of the receipt. As she read the short note, her lip curled downward, into a snarl.

"Loki, you fucking bastard."

_**Natasha,**_

_**I told you. You owed me. Thank you for that lovely dinner.**_

_**~L.L.**_


	3. Visiting

It was a surprise to Natasha when Loki appeared at Stark tower.

And it was like he didn't even care that the other avengers would flip their shit. He merely appeared in the kitchen, where Steve was in the middle of eating a hamburger (how _American_). The half eaten sandwich slipped from the golden boy's hands as his eye widened at Loki. The god merely smirked as the alarm rang out through the building.

"Hello, Captain. It is very lovely to see you today."

Natasha ran out of her room, suited up, as soon as the alarm rang out. All she wanted to do that day was relax after the battle they had the previous. But, no, the fates hated her, obviously. Whatever was in the building, she wanted to get rid of quickly.

"Barton, where is it coming from?" She asked, as Clint ran beside her.

"Stark said kitchen," he said, fumbling for one of his arrows.

By the time they got into the kitchen, Tony was already in there, in his suit, arms were crossed. If Natasha could see his face, she's sure Tony would be glaring. Bruce was luckily on a mission from SHIELD, so there was no Hulking out. And Thor was currently not in this realm.

"Stark, what's going on—" Natasha began, walking over to Tony, but stopping as she saw the god of mischief standing in the kitchen, smiling, like he was having the time of his life. And standing next to him, was Steve, his hands behind his back. Natasha assumed Loki was using his magic on the super soldier, because Steve looked stiff, like he couldn't move at all. "Loki," she said darkly. "What are you doing here?"

Loki grinned viciously. "Oh, I am here strictly for fun. And considering that my _brother _isn't here, and is instead in Asgard, this makes it all the more enjoyable."

Clint, from beside Natasha, said, "You're a son of a bitch, you know that?"

Loki's smile didn't falter. Instead, it seemed to grow even wider. "Why, Clint, would you really say that to me? You didn't seem to say that to me while I had you under my _control_. As my little _pet_."

"_You piece of shit—_" Clint said, getting ready to charge at Loki. But Natasha blocked him with her arm.

"Don't," she hissed at him. She glared over at the god. "What do you want, Laufeyson?"

Loki chuckled. "To see you, of course. To talk."

Clint barked out a laugh. "Fuck that noi—" Natasha hit him over the head to shut him up.

She scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why would you want to do that, and why would I _let _you do that, considering the circumstances." It wasn't that she was pissed about Loki barging in here to talk, or even that Steve was tied up. She was mad that Loki _assumed _she'd want to talk to him. Like she'd be _happy _to talk to him, like they were BFFs.

"Because I know you want to talk as well."

Damn, Loki got her there. She pursed her lips and nodded. "Let Rogers go, then we'll talk."

"Natasha I don't—" Steve began, but Loki waved a hand, and his lips were glued shut.

"Wonderful," Loki grinned. He waved his hand yet again, and Steve was let free and was able to speak. The golden boy glared at the god before stalking out the kitchen, mumbling about manhandling.

"Now, where shall we talk?" Loki said, wiping his hands together.

"My room," Natasha stated plainly, not taking her eyes off of Loki.

Next to her, Clint made a strangled noise. "Nat, I don't think—"

"I'm a big girl, Barton. I'll be okay," she growled at the archer.

Clint shut up.

Loki smirked. "Very well then." He offered out a hand. "Shall we?"

Natasha stared at the hand, like if she would touch it, it would explode. Loki rolled his eyes. "It's not going to explode," he said, as if he read her mind. Damn him.

So Natasha took his hand, and they were transported to her room. She felt her stomach drop in the two seconds it took them to get there. She felt woozy and coughed. "Damn," she muttered. "How the—"

Loki laughed. "You get used to it after a while."

Natasha nodded and cleared her throat. She desperately wanted to sit down, for she was feeling dizzy from being transported. "Alright, Loki. What do you want to talk about?"

The god chuckled. "I would just like to thank you for that lovely night. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. You are quite the drunk, Natasha."

The assassin glared at Loki. "Yes, and I distinctly remembering you charging the receipt to _my _credit card."

Loki chuckled. "Well, you were drunk. It was quite easy to swipe your money card. Not to mention, I have very powerful magic." He snapped his fingers, and an orange rose appeared in his hand. "Thank you, for the lovely dinner."

Natasha stared at the rose. Then at Loki.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Is one rose not good enough for you, then?" With another snap, the rose transformed into a whole bouquet of the bright, beautiful flowers.

Natasha's eyes widened, but she kept her strong demeanor. "What's this all about, Loki? Why are you doing this?"

Loki sighed and waved his hand. A vase filled with water appeared. He set the roses in the vase and placed it on Natasha's side table. "To be perfectly honest, my dear. I'm not quite sure what I am doing here."

"Then why are you?"

The god shook his head. "I thought I would be done with you. I thought that after the dinner, things would go back to the way they were, in my crazy, demented mind." He was mumbling to himself.

"What?" Natasha said, leaning forward. "Loki, you're not making any sense. I'm confused. What is it that you want?"

Loki looked at her, his eyes wide."What… _I_… want?" He sucked in a deep breath and shook his head. It was like he was debating something in his mind. Then he pursed his lips and chuckled dryly. "To hell with it." Then he leaned forward and kissed Natasha right on the mouth.

Her mind took a direct vacation, and she wrapped her arms around Loki's neck. His arms were wrapped delicately around her waist, like if he were to hold her too hard, he would hurt her. She liked that feeling. Natasha' conscience screamed at her. _'Stop! What the fuck are you doing? He is the _enemy_! Stop kissing him! This is a trap! STOP!' _She ignored every word of it, only enjoying the feeling of Loki's mouth on hers.

Then, as if realizing what he was doing, Loki detached his mouth from Natasha's, his eyes wide. "I-I—" But he never finished, because he disappeared right when the door knocked.

"Nat?" Clint asked from the other side. "What's going on in there?"

Natasha's eyes were wide, staring at the empty spot where Loki was. She looked over at the door. "Nothing," she said. "He… He just left."

Clint opened the door. His eyebrows furrowed as he saw Natasha's dazed and shocked look. "What happened?"

And honestly, Natasha had no fucking clue.


	4. Gallery

The whole deal with the shindig is that _none _of the Avengers really wanted to go. It was an opening for an art gallery in downtown New York that featured the _new and stunning young artists of the century_. Invitation sent to and back, via Tony Stark. Of course, everyone groaned when Pepper forced Tony to go, ergo, they would have to go as well. Tony isn't a good drunk and to be right, if Tony Stark was expected to come, so was everyone else.

So that's why they were all standing awkwardly in the middle of a large room, wearing uncomfortable monkey suits and sipping champagne like the _classy _(cough bullshit cough) they were. Well, Natasha was, instead of sporting a tuxedo, was in a sleek black dress that complimented her figure. She dully noted that it was the same dress she wore when she had dinner with Loki. And of course, Tony couldn't keep his eyes off her ass. And Clint kept his training on a little farther _up north_.

So instead of sipping drinks and chiming fake laughter with her _horribly horny _comrades, Natasha instead walked around, looking at the art that was being featured. And, in her opinion, the art was atrocious.

"You can't just splatter paint on a canvas and call it art," Natasha muttered to herself, scowling at the painting. Of course, she doesn't know anything about art. She could barely draw a stick figure, let alone a descent line. That was Steve's thing, not hers. But she knew what _good _art looked like, and this wasn't it.

"I agree. In Asgard, the paintings are much more… meaningful."

Natasha whirled around, glaring at the owner of the voice. "What are you doing here?" she whispered harshly, looking worriedly at the others. Oh, but they were perfectly fine on their own. Tony was flirting with one of the hostesses carrying trays of mini sandwiches, Steve was doodling on a napkins, Bruce was staying close by Tony, like a lost puppy, and Thor and Clint were stacking up on all of the mini pretzels they could get their hands on.

Loki grinned, his smile mischievous. "I was invited."

Natasha snorted quietly. "By whom?"

"Myself, of course."

The woman pursed her lips. "And I'm assuming that you did something to the guards to let them pass you by?"

Loki laughed. It almost sounded like a shrill meow from a cat, and it caused shivers to run up Natasha's spine. "I merely put a small… charm on them."

Natasha sighed and rubbed at her temple. "I can't deal with this right now," she muttered. "What did you do to them, Loki?"

The god chuckled. "Don't worry, no harm has come to the mortals. They are merely sleeping on the job, is all."

"And when they wake up?"

"They will not remember a thing."

Natasha sighed. She glared up at Loki. "Give me one good reason why I should go over and tell Tony about your little… _invitation_," she spat, making the god grin even wider.

"Because I know you don't want to," he laughed merrily.

Natasha examined Loki. He was wearing a dark green suit with a white under shirt and white bow tie. His hair was slicked back as usual, and his eyes seemed to give off an even bright gleam of green. As much as she hated to admit, Natasha thought the trickster look… good. _Really _good. She sighed in defeat. "Dammit."

Loki laughed and waved over a hostess who was carrying a tray of champagne. He plucked one off the tray, ignoring the girl's flirty gaze with him. Loki only look at Natasha and smiled. He waved the hostess off. "You can leave now." That made her huff and stomp away dramatically.

"She seemed to like you," the assassin noted icily, fixing a glare of Loki's bowtie. "A lot. In fact, at least all of the hostesses have been giving you googly eyes during this whole thing." She didn't know why she sounded pissed or… _god forbid_, jealous.

But Loki noted the sound of her voice, and he grinned wickedly. "Why, Miss Romanoff, are you, dare I say… jealous?"

Natasha huffed, standing straighter. She glared at the floor. "Yeah, I'm jealous of that girl for talking to you, and you ending up _ignoring her_. Oh, I'm so depressed that you won't give me the _time of day_," she spat sarcastically.

Loki laughed. But this time, it seemed like genuine laughter. It made Natasha smile. "Oh, my dear, you are quite the interesting character."

Natasha smirked. "How so?" she questioned. And, _no_, her tone was _not _flirtatious. She was being… dramatic and… chipper.

The god smirked. "Well, first off, you have this… aura that just seems to make fiery sparks between people. You… you have this air of confidence that I have seen in no other woman, not even Lady Sif. Not only that, but you are so… content with what you do, it's amazing. Your strength is absolutely brilliant, even _I _am impressed…"

All while Loki gushed about her, Natasha's face grew warm, and her stomach churned in the worst and best way possible. _'It' just the champagne, it's just the champagne. It's really hot in here. It's just the champagne. I am _not _growing a little school girl crush on the enemy. No, no, no, no.'_

"And you enjoy your life and I admire that about you. Your just amazing and I—" Loki's stuttering ramble was cut short by Natasha's hugging him close and her lips on his.

_And no, she was not crying over what Loki said. No. Fucking. Way._


	5. Daily Deliveries

On Monday, it was a gardenia.

The Avengers looked at the flower that lay delicately on the doorstep, perfectly white, not a speck of dirt anywhere. Someone had rung the doorbell, interrupting their perfectly cooked lunch, provided by Taco Bell, for a _flower_. Sure, they had gotten flowers before. But they were _huge _bouquets that could barely fit in a vase. But this… _this _tiny flower, which seethed perfection, interrupted Taco Bell.

"Well then," Tony said, glaring at the flower. "Guess that's another to throw away." He picked up the flower, scowling at it. "Geez, ya think the person would actually send us more than this thing."

"Well, it's the thought that counts," Steve offered, smiling awkwardly at the flower.

Before Tony was about to throw it away, Bruce muttered a wait. "There's something attached to it. Like a tag."

Tony examined the tag, and his eyes widened, his eyebrows raised to his hairline.

There was only one word on that tag, written in green ink and elegant handwriting.

_Natasha_.

On Tuesday, it was a honeysuckle.

Just like the last time, exactly at 12:30, the doorbell rang, and there laid the flower. It was white with just a pink tinge to it. And, just like the previous day, there was a tag on it, with Natasha's name on it.

"Looks like you have a secret admirer, Nat," Clint smirked, winking. "Looks like the guy's really into you. Or _girl_."

"Go eat your sandwich, asshole," Natasha grumbled, looking at the tag. If only the others knew the truth about whom these flowers were from. She knew from the start that they were from Loki. She could tell by the handwriting that it was him.

Natasha went to her room and set the flower in a vase with the gardenia.

On Wednesday, it was an orchid.

12:30, on the spot, the doorbell rang. Tony groaned. "Can't we eat in peace?" He abandoned his Chinese takeout and opened the door, scowling at the pink flower. "Okay, Natasha. You need to tell your little crush that this is just creepy."

"I think it's sweet," Steve said, smiling slightly.

"In its own fucked up way," Clint snorted, gulfing down Lo Mein noodles.

Natasha sighed and stabbed at her chicken, shoving it Clint's way, who eagerly took it from her. She stood up and took the flower from Tony. "Thanks," she mumbled at him, walking away quickly.

The others stared at the empty space Natasha was once in, wondering what was bothering her.

On Thursday, it was a forget-me-not.

At 12:30, Tony sucked in a deep breath, not parting with his McDonalds. "Natasha, go."

The assassin rolled her eyes and stood up. "Yeah, yeah, I got it." She walked over to the door and opened it. But instead of just a flower, there was Loki. He handed her the purple flower, then vanished.

She forced herself not to smile.

"What flower is it now?" Steve asked, nodded toward the plant.

"Forget-me-not," Bruce answered monotonically, not taking his eyes off his cheeseburger. "They are the meaning of true love and memories."

Clint whistled, winking at Natasha. "Looks like your anonymous relationship is getting pretty serious," he said. "Hey, it's better than eHarmony, I guess."

Natasha glared at Clint. "You can have my fries."

And she walked away.

On Friday, it was a stock.

At 12:29, Natasha stood by the door, hearing the others fight over who gets her last chicken strip. She rolled her eyes, and when 12:30 appeared right on the spot, she opened the door, not giving Loki even a chance to ring the doorbell.

He merely smiled and handed her the fuchsia pink flower. Before Natasha could say anything, he kissed her cheek and disappeared.

She went back inside and walked to her room, ignoring her comrades' stares.

On Saturday, it was a yellow tulip.

She didn't bother to wait by the door this time. She was already outside, sitting on the front porch. When 12:30 appeared, there was no Loki. But there was, in fact, a green flash of light, and the tulip appeared there on its own, perfectly yellow.

She bit her lip and glared at the flower. She delicately took it between her index and thumb finger. Natasha went back inside and ignored the smell of pizza and her friends' protests about her not joining.

She added the tulip to the vase, smiling only slightly.

On Sunday, it was a red carnation.

Natasha didn't wait by the door. She didn't wait outside. She waited in her room, skipping lunch. She sat down on her bed, looking at the vase that contained the flowers that Loki had given her so far.

It was colorful and beautiful, and it made Natasha smile slowly every morning.

At 12:30, the flower appeared at her window seal, an envelope with it.

She stood up and walked over, plucking the flower from the seal and placed it in the small vase with the other flowers. With one tear, she opened the envelope.

The words inside were written in Loki's beautiful penmanship.

_Gardenia__: __You're lovely_

_Honeysuckle: Generous and devoted affection_

_Orchid: Love, Beauty_

_Forget-Me-Not: True love, Memories_

_Stock: Lasting beauty_

_Yellow Tulip: Hopeless Love_

_Red Carnation: My heart aches for you_

Natasha only smiled.


	6. Morning

**(Ahhh, thank you so much for the reviews and likes on this story. ;u; And here is the wanted update)**

They had kept it a secret for as long as possible. Whenever they could, Loki and Natasha would sneak into alleys when Loki was being "evil" (A.K.A.: using a cover-up for their "relationship") and steal quick kisses. Whenever the guys would be in the living room, watching Jersey Shore reruns and playing drinking games like the men they are, Natasha would sneak into her room, and Loki would always be there, waiting. If they were lucky, there'd be an assignment just for Natasha to work on that _wasn't _in New York City, so that'd give the two more alone time whenever she was free.

It was all okay and they had nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.

Natasha wasn't one for waking up early. Hell, the earliest she can even tolerate waking up is at noon. She is one for late nights and late mornings. And the others know that as well. If someone even tries to wake her up if it's not for important reasons and don't go with her guidelines, then they are dead meat.

_(Guidelines for waking Natasha up: internal bleeding, on fire, death, the coffee machine isn't working, new mission, or alien invasion. Anything else and you're going to have to learn how to fly before you hit the pavement.)_

It was even a surprise to the assassin herself when she woke up on a Saturday at eight in the _morning_, which is usually when Steve gets up.

(You see, here is the usual wake-up order: Steve, Bruce, Tony, Thor—when he's here and _not _in Asgard, Clint, and then Natasha.)

She was making coffee tiredly, her movements slow and sloth-like. Hopefully a bit of coffee would wake her up and get rid of her sour mood. She plopped herself down onto a chair and sipped her hot beverage moodily.

Steve walked in, only to pause at the sight before him. Natasha looked over and scowled. "I suggest you make your coffee and not ask questions, Cap," she muttered. "Because I'm in one of those moods again."

Steve's eyes widened fearfully, but he smiled all the same. "Ah, I see. I'll just leave you to it then." He quickly made his coffee and sat down in the seat across from Natasha. He picked up the book that he had left there the previous day and started from where he left off.

Natasha was grateful that he wasn't in the "chatty, superhero-Steve mood."

Bruce didn't even acknowledge her when he walked in. All he did was make his coffee and walk out of the kitchen, most likely heading for his beloved lab.

But Natasha's mood soured when Tony walked in with a noticeable hangover. Yesterday had been Friday, so that meant Tony was bound to get drunk. And—(surprise, surprise)—he did. He was grumbling something about _lousy, no-good, goddamn cherry-flavored—_

He had ceased his grumbling to make a much needed steaming pot of coffee. He grabbed a day old doughnut and sat himself right next to Natasha. He sipped at his coffee and winced. "Note to self, never take a drink from an anonymous person in an alley. I think I got raped last night."

"You didn't get raped," Steve said in a monotone voice. "You came home, belting out ABBA songs and crying about how 'you were cheated by Bruce and you think he knows when'."

Tony grimaced. "Fuck, I am ashamed."

"You should be. You should have seen the look on Banner's face when you started sobbing in his chest," Natasha muttered, taking another gulp of her drink.

Tony looked over and blinked at the assassin. "Are you really here or are you just a memory?"

"Alive and in the flesh."

"Jesus, I need to go back to bed. Today is already off for me." Tony stood up, took another drink of his coffee and said, "Adios."

Steve didn't look up from his book as he said, "Take some Aspirin before you do. And brush your teeth, your breath smells awful."

"Anything for you, Cap," he muttered icily.

Natasha sighed and set her head on the table.

She squeezed her eyes shut as Clint walked in, demanding coffee. "I need it right now or I am going to blow a fucking—Natasha?" He gasped in disbelief. "Oh Christ. Someone call the police. I think I just died and went to Crazy Town, because there is _no way _Natasha is up at 10 o'clock on a _Saturday morning_." He barked out a laugh, but shut up when Natasha sent him a deadly glare that would have demons shying away.

"I'm not in the mood," she hissed angrily. "Get your coffee and get out before I do something that I will regret."

Clint quickly did so, spilling coffee on the way to his room.

Steve chuckled and Natasha sent him a glare. "What?"

The super soldier laughed. "Oh, nothing. I just think it's hilarious how you managed to scare everyone away."

Natasha sighed and lightly hit her head against the table. "Everyone except you, at least. Today is going to be a long day."

"Got that right," Steve said, flipping a page in his book.


	7. Hello Mr Nice Guy

"What are you doing here?"

Loki's lips quirked upward. "Well, I _am _the 'bad guy' apparently. Why wouldn't I be here?" he said with flair of arrogance.

Natasha smirked. "I should've known it was you. Popcorn falling from the sky and robots covering the city with cotton candy _does _sound like your sorta thing." She cocked her head. "But my question is why isn't anything destructive?"

Loki pursed his lips, smiling. "Oh, I am sure the butter and salt coming from the popcorn is bad enough. Quite a few people have gotten the salt in their eyes." He made a little _tsk _sound. "Oh, the pity."

The assassin snorted. "I hope this is a joke. Will the cotton candy end up in stomach problems?"

"Only if Tony eats it. Then will I make him suffer."

"Tempting, but no."

Loki laughed and wrapped an arm around Natasha. "My dear, today is a day for funny things, do you not agree?"

"Not if it includes cleaning up the city." Natasha made a scrunched-up face at the word 'cleaning.'

"I am sure Tony and Barton will be able to help with that."

Natasha smiled and looked up at the trickster. "I'm not sure why I stay with you. You're just as childish as the rest of them." Which wasn't completely true, in her part. Loki _was _more mature than the others that she works with, even Bruce, who does have his tendency to be quite the "funny" drunk. (Funny for Tony, not for Natasha.) Loki held a quiet, firm, yet playful demeanor. He _may _be a trickster, but he's more serious than he lets on. Sometimes, the child in him will show, like so.

Loki put a hand on his chest in mock-offence. "Why, Natasha, I am offended at your words. They have wounded me so deep, that not even stitches will help. Someone will need to carry me off into the sunset, while my wounded heart can never be healed."

Oh yeah, he's also sarcastic.

"Stop being a smart ass," Natasha laughed, elbowing him gently. "You're still the bad guy, and I can easily take you down."

Loki's mouth curled upward, much like a cat's. "Are you quite sure about that, my dear?" he purred. When Natasha smirked, he chuckled. "Well, we'll just have to see about that, now won't we?" He placed his lips on hers gently.

People make mistakes, yeah, Natasha gets that. People make them every day, some without knowing it. And, at that moment, she and Loki made a mistake. It wasn't their best idea to play a game of tonsil tennis, especially when the other avengers were around, not really doing anything except cleaning and looking up, cursing at the sky. (Well, for Tony and Clint, it was seeing how much popcorn they could catch on their tongue.) But, in the end, _someone had _to notice.

"Fraternizing with the enemy on the job, are we, Romanoff?" Tony tsked and waved his index finger side-to-side. "Now that's not being a good little avenger, now is it?"

Let's just say, the whole ordeal did not go very well. It ended up in Clint aiming arrows at Loki, who was having the time of his life laughing, while disappearing and reappearing, letting Clint miss every shot. That only angered the archer more, causing him to go red in the face and call Loki some very, _ahem_… rudewords. Bruce hulked out, only smashing a few buildings in the process, which was progress for him. Steve complained that he wanted to go home and sleep off the events. And Tony… well Tony was laughing too hard to speak…. Or stand up.

Natasha ended up giving him a black eye.

They didn't speak of it at all during the meeting or for the rest of the night. The others knew what was good for them if they didn't want to end up with a shiner like Tony's.

"I think that went well," Loki said, lying with Natasha on her bed that night.

"I am not afraid to give you a black eye as well, Laufeyson."

Loki laughed, kissing the assassin's temple.


	8. Seconds

It was a normal day. The sun was high in the sky, not a cloud to be seen. Busy and rushing people crowded the streets, all hurrying not to be late for work. Not a soul would ever think that anything would disrupt their peace and normality that happened nearly every day.

Seconds ticked by.

5, 4…

People waited in lines at banks.

3…

Children walked into school, lugging their backpacks.

2…

Citizens waited at traffic lights, wondering, pondering what that gray cloud in the sky was doing on such a beautiful morning.

1…

A child screamed.

HYDRA was known for their flair and arrogance. They knew they had the upper hand in their building techniques. Their robots were nearly indestructible this time._ This time_… they would take down the avengers and their little "headquarters" once and for all.

Nothing could stop them.

Bruce was away, taking a well needed vacation _away _from destruction. He reclined in Hawaii, enjoying some sun and relaxation while the Other Guy took a rest as well.

Thor was still in Asgard, serving his princely duties.

Loki was gone, creating mischief somewhere else. There was no way he could be there to help the others (which he sometimes, yet rarely does… whenever he feels the need to, really. Clint still isn't used to it and glares at Loki whenever the trickster is even _near _Natasha. He even set up and dart board in his room with a picture of Loki on it… he never misses a shot).

All that was left was Natasha, Tony, Steve, and Clint to fight all of those robots alone. The bastards were tearing down small buildings _alone_. Flipping cars and knocking away street signs hardly seemed to be anything at all to them.

"Hawk. Nest. _Now_," Tony ordered, nodding to a still-standing building that was near all the wreckage.

Clint nodded stiffly, running toward the building and maneuvered through the people who were screaming and absconding from the area of destruction.

Steve nodded to Tony. "You and I'll stay down here, okay? Natasha, go to the other side of the street, find a building and shoot from above. Those things can fly, so they may attack from above as well."

Natasha nodded. "Got it. See ya, Cap." She bounded for the building, kicking a few robots that were making their way for her. "Not now, you automated pieces of shit," she hissed, entering the building. She climbed up five flights of stairs, not breaking a sweat. She finally made it to the roof, kicking open the door. Two robots were already up on the roof, causing cars to explode from their hands. "Can't I get a break?" Natasha groaned. She shot one off the roof, surprising it. The other robot came toward her, weapon getting fired up. Natasha shot it a few times, causing it to go backwards and fly off the roof, joining its little robot buddy.

Natasha aimed and fired at a few down below, only missing once. Though the shots did nothing to kill them, they certainly did weaken the robot. A few landed on top of the roof that Natasha was perched at, and she easily maneuvered their attacks and let them fall off with stride.

She noticed that Cap and Tony weren't doing all that hot. Tony was struggling to fly, which he couldn't. So he was stuck on the ground with Steve, who wasn't doing such a bang-up job on killing many of the robots. Clint was still on top of the building across from Natasha. He was aiming and firing, pulling out arrows easily. He was running low, but had two extra spare guns that Natasha gave him before they left headquarters.

She was too busy examining the others that she didn't notice a robot barreling towards her, and didn't hear Clint's shout to move. The robot hit her in the chest, causing her to stumble a little. But that wasn't the bad part.

Natasha's eyes widened as she saw what arrow had been used.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. In less than a second, heat kindled in front of Natasha. The robot exploded, its pieces flying everywhere.

And Natasha was thrown off the roof of the building, barreling toward earth.

She screamed.

And then there was nothing.


	9. It's Not Time

_"You think that I nearly lost you when the doctors tried to take you away." _

Steve knew there was something wrong when the world had, to him, become very silent. The silence ended with a piercing scream that cut through his bones like blades. Everything in time seemed to stop as a sickening _thump, crack_ was heard. Robot descended from everywhere, threatening to take everything away.

Steve knew that this would _not _be alright.

"What is it?" Tony breathed beside him.

Steve gulped. "It's Natasha."

Next thing he knew, he's at the hospital, still dazed and confused about all that happened. He stared at a beige wall in front of him, Tony sitting beside him. Tony looked over at him when Steve made a confused and strangled noise. "W-what?"

Tony clapped his hand on the super soldier's back. "You did well, Cap," he said sadly.

"What… what happened?"

"Fuck, do you really not remember anything?" Tony asked in disbelief.

Steve pursed his lips and shook his head.

Tony explained what happened after the explosion. Apparently, Steve had gone nuts and went psycho on the robots, smashing them together, ripping out wiring that look important. Somehow, Tony had managed to gain enough power to call Loki, who ended up flashing into the scene in an instant. With the three of them versus the robots, it was an easy job, but half-heartedly won. When they went up to search for Clint, he was nowhere to be found. Because Loki had used up all of his power to save the day, he had no ability to heal Natasha. "You should have fucking seen him, Cap. The man literally had _tears _in his eyes. It was a pretty depressing sight when he just picked her up and cradled her. Hell, I had a few teary-eyed moments myself."

Steve bit his lip. "And what about me?"

"You? Well, you were basically kicking beaten up robots around, yelling at them. I had to _pry _you off of them to get you to come with us."

Steve nodded and gulped down a sob. He must've seemed pretty upset, because Tony placed a hand on his shoulder, soothing him. "She'll be alright, Rogers. She's stronger than you think."

Steve nodded, gasping in a strangled cry. Natasha reminded him so much of Peggy, and the way they were both determined and strong. Not to mention stubborn as all hell. Natasha was one person Steve could really rely on to help him through. She wasn't afraid to hurt someone, especially Tony, which made him think about Peggy and how she wasn't afraid of anything. Not the war, not the soldiers… nothing. She was just… brilliant. Which is why Natasha was much like her… And to lose someone so close again… It pained Steve to even _think _about it. Losing Bucky and Peggy was enough. Almost losing Tony in their battle against Loki was frightening. And now… nearly losing Natasha and not knowing how it will turn out… That was just horrifying.

The super soldier gulped and wiped his eyes. He sighed and looked around the room. That's when he noticed Loki sitting in a corner, his eyes casted down to the floor. Loki just looked so pale… so scared. So _sad_. Steve didn't know that he was walking toward Loki until he was standing in front of the god, looking at his pale face.

Loki didn't acknowledge his presence, but Steve sat next to him anyway.

For the next ten minutes, Steve only took the time to study the man. His eyes looked sunken in, like he hadn't slept for _days_. His hair was greasy and his mouth was turned into a distraught frown.

"If I hadn't have left," Loki murmured, startling Steve. "If I hadn't have left, then she would still be alive."

"She is alive—"

"How do you know that!" Loki practically yelled, his eyes looking sharply at Steve in anger. A few people looked their way, including Tony, who was watching them curiously. "She could be _dying _for all we know, and your pathetic _mortal _doctors wouldn't be able to do a damn thing!" His throat closed up, and Loki looked away from Steve, shaking.

Steve looked to the ground and sighed. "You must care for her a lot," Steve noted, looking at the god.

Loki sighed and shook his head. "I shouldn't. I shouldn't give a damn about you pathetic _humans_. So weak and vulnerable, without any rule. It's stupid and foolish. All of you are. I shouldn't care for someone so weak as… _her_."

"She's not weak, Loki. She's one of the most strongest and bravest women I've ever known. She may be weak right now, but she's still strong _inside_."

When Loki didn't say anything, Steve placed a hand on the man's shoulder, making the god flinch. "It wasn't your fault, Loki. You couldn't have stopped anything that happened. You didn't even know that it was going to happen."

Loki didn't speak, he just looked at the ground impassively.

"It's not your fault," he repeated before walking back to Tony, his footsteps echoing around the room.

_"You swore you'd be here till we decide that it's our time, but it's not time, you never quit in all your life."_


	10. Remembrance

**(Thank you for all the lovely comments uvu)**

"Loki's missing."

Natasha looked up from her magazine, uninterested. Steve looked down at her with such a solemn and sorry face, she just felt _sick _by looking at it. "And why should I care?" she said sweetly, looking back down at the page talking about the Kardashians (which she didn't really care about).

Steve sighed and sat down in the chair next to her hospital bed. "Natasha, you can't just ignore what we've been trying to tell you."

"I can, and I will," she said darkly, a shadow crossing her face. "There's no way in hell that I would _ever _be associated with _Loki_."

"But that's what I'm _telling _you, Tasha, you _have been_."

"I most definitely have not. I would remember something like that."

"You hit your head pretty hard."

"I don't care. I don't believe you."

"You should, though," Steve replied.

Natasha threw the magazine across the room, where it hit the wall and landed on the floor. "Get out," she muttered.

Steve looked like a kicked puppy. Natasha _hated _that face and she just wanted to ignore his big, sad eyes and—

"I'm sorry, but everything I have told you is true. Just because you don't remember it and don't _want _to remember it, doesn't mean that it didn't happen. And when you flat out _rejected _Loki that day you woke up… You shoulda seen his face. It was like a child learning that Santa isn't real."

Natasha smirked. "You mean the face that Tony made when Pepper told him that he couldn't drink for a month and took away all his booze after he made a fool of himself on national TV?"

Steve made a face that looked like a pug. "Yeah, okay. A little bit more pathetic than that. But that's not the point. You still hurt him, and now he's gone."

"Good riddance," the assassin mumbled, looking away.

The soldier sighed and stood up. "I'll let you get some rest."

When he walked back out, Tony stood up. "Can we go home now? I fucking hate hospitals."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

"And can we stop for coffee. I haven't had any caffeine _all day_. All day, Steve. This is mutiny."

Steve snorted and walked out of the hospital with Tony. It was drizzling when they walked out, so Tony groaned all the way to the car, which was on the other side of the lot. "Why couldn't we have gotten a spot closer, ugh."

"She still denies the Loki Thing," Steve mumbled.

Tony shook his head. "How could she even _forget _the Loki Thing, and not about anything else?" he mumbled. "It just doesn't make sense."

"If she would've hit her head any harder, then it would've wiped her memories clean."

"Bullshit."

"She fell from a ten story building, Stark," Steve grumbled.

When they finally got to the car, Tony got into the driver's side and started it up. "Then she should've lost most _or all of _her memory at least," he said.

"You never know. She may not even know when her birthday is."

"Nah, doc asked her some questions. She knows her name, birth, mom, dad, and all of us. She just doesn't know anything about the Loki Thing. So, when Loki entered the room, she went berserk and threw her pudding cup at his face. Shame, too. It was chocolate and it got all over him. What a waste."

"Apparently she thought it was the next best thing to knives," Steve chuckled.

"Well, it _did _get rid of Loki."

Steve sighed and frowned. "And now he's missing. You say there's no trace of his magic anywhere?"

Tony shook his head. "I had Jarvis go over it ten times, no sign of the guy or his little magic acts. It's like he flew from the world. Y'think he went back to Asgard?"

Steve shook his head. "Even if he were depressed or near death, I don't think Loki would go back there. It just doesn't seem like him; especially considering Thor is still there."

The other looked up at the sky when an overly bright streak of lightening bolted up the sky. He smirked. "Not anymore."


End file.
